About This Getting Older Business

Just want to share some thoughts about getting older. I recently turned 52. It seems I've had a downward spiral in health since hitting that half century mark. If you are a regular reader, you know I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroid Disease about a year ago. This past spring we found out that my normal body temp was 97.5* which explains why I was cold so much. That has been fixed with low dose natural thyroid meds. Now, I'm hot all the time! Plus, that getting older and gaining weight thing doesn't help. I have struggled with joint pain since age 18 due to the trauma of my car/train accident but the older I get, the worse it gets. 

Four days ago I had a partial hysterectomy because of multiple uterine fibroids. Surprisingly, I have had little pain. I'm tender and slow moving but not having to live on pain killers. Easiest surgery I've ever had as far as pain goes. What is my surgery count? Let's see... tonsillectomy 1984, surgery to put steel nail in right femur (thigh bone) 1985, surgery to remove nail 1990, laparoscopy to unblock Fallopian tubes 1990 (they ended up not being blocked when they got in there!) C-section 1991, tuba ligation 1993, uterine balloon oblation 2000 (not a real surgery but I was knocked out for procedure and was pretty sore after), appendectomy 2002, hysterectomy 2018. That's nine surgeries!  At least they were spread out over the years! :) This may be too much info for some of you but oh well. My life is often an open book. Hoping the last one helps with many symptoms. 

A friend of ours who is older than us, once told us that "getting old ain't for sissies!" He sure was right! Some days you just want to stop dealing with it and are ready for the Lord to come. Watching your body stop working the way it once did is hard some days. But, I am thankful it's not worse. I know many, many people suffer and deal with more health issues than I do. 

One of the hardest things to deal with being so stiff and achy and not being as strong as I used to be, is not being able to play with my grandkids as I would like. I just can't have them jumping on me or get on the floor as easily as I used to. It hurts! Sometimes I have trouble picking them up because of joint pain. I find ways to enjoy them anyway though. 

I reckon the point of this post is that even though my body is slowly deteriorating, I'm still glad to be above ground. I'm glad I'm still here on earth to enjoy the things God has provided. Also, if you are young, do the things necessary to keep your body more agile and healthy. No matter what you do, you will not live forever on this earth (you can have eternal life in heaven though, if you accept what Jesus did on the cross) but you can keep yourself strong, agile, and healthy longer, if you try. It's much easier to maintain than to fix and rebuild as I am having to do. I had no example to follow of maintaining good health as I grew up or in my young adulthood. When we know better we can strive to do better! Don't assume your young body will hold out into old age without routine maintenance because it won't! Do what's necessary NOW! Make changes where you need to and ward off old age ailments as long as you can. Keep the above meme in mind as you grow older. There is only one classic you! 

Learning About Food Allergies & Sensitivities

A little over two months ago, I did a food allergy/sensitivity test. Actually, back in Nov. of 2017 I did an Ige food allergy test. It tested for 26 foods. Only one thing came back positive and apparently was a false positive because when eating tomatoes I have never had any reaction and in my second testing it was negative though on the verge of a mild sensitivity. Ige allergy testing is a blood test that checks for immediate reactions to certain foods or other substances like seasonal allergies or pet dander, etc. That's what allergy generally refers to; an immediate reaction or reaction within a short time frame. Breaking out from exposure to poison ivy is an Ige reaction. Watery eyes from cats or dogs is another. Stomach pain, diarrhea, swelling or rash is also common if you are allergic to certain foods, such as seafood. These are all Ige reactions. Anaphylactic shock is the most severe Ige reaction.

Igg blood testing is a test that checks reactions over a period of 3-5 days. These would not be allergic reactions but sensitivity or intolerance reactions. Symptoms of intolerance or sensitivity to a food might include sinus drainage, excess gas and bloating, brain fog, low energy, stomach pain, constipation &/or diarrhea, arthritis, insomnia, hyperactivity, aggressiveness & disobedience in children or a host of other symptoms. Igg testing usually covers many more foods, spices & additives than Ige tests check. 

I tested positive for several things out of 96. These tests results range from a 1 to 3 in severity. 1 being mild to 3 being strong. For me eggs were my worst sensitivity. Egg whites being a 3 and egg yolks being a 2! Cow's milk was a 2 along with cheddar cheese & mozzarella cheese. However, cottage cheese & yogurt were only a 1! It's all about the processing! The only other 2 was for oats.  My doctor explained that over exposure to any food or any substance really, has the potential to cause an allergy or sensitivity to develop. This is what I believe happened to me for the most part. In trying to steer clear of gluten (which I don't have even a sensitivity to by the way) I was using oats and oat flour to substitute. I also ate eggs often. My normal breakfast routine for quite some time had been a soft boiled egg and a 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt or a cup of oatmeal. All three of these showed up in sensitivity! I also enjoy having breakfast type foods for supper which means eggs more often. Also, many, many, many foods have eggs as an ingredient...from baked goods to mayonnaise! The foods that showed up as a sensitivity-1 for me are...asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, green olives, almonds, chia seed, banana, watermelon, malt, black pepper, oregano, & tarragon. Dr. said he had only had two other people ever test positive for black pepper. I currently use white pepper! However, hard to completely prevent using due to restaurants or eating at friends and family. This just goes to show that it matters not at all how healthy a food is supposed to statistically be if you are intolerant to it! 

In my heavy research of food sensitivity, I discovered that most often sensitivities begin because of leaky gut or poor gut health. Nearly every autoimmune disorder can be cleared up completely or made better by fixing the digestive system! One thing that leads to leaky gut is Vitamin D deficiency, along with poor thyroid function and low liver function (low liver function may lead to the vitamin D problem!). All of these go hand in hand. In fact, the gut is the second brain of the body. If it isn't working correctly, the other systems will not work correctly either. BTW, I do not believe the Vitamin D deficiency problem in this country is from lack of milk but lack of sunshine! People spend way more time indoors than out than they did 30 years ago. Technology means more sitting around playing on a computer, gaming system, phone or just watching tv than a generation ago participated in. 

I am working on a theory and will let you know the outcome as I gain more knowledge about this. I tested sensitive-1 for several vegetables. Most of these vegetables are the "gassy" veggies. When you have a thyroid problem, you are not to eat those veggies raw at all or often even cooked. As regular readers of this blog know, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroid disorder last November. I just wonder if I tested positive for those vegetables because I have a thyroid issue. In another month I will retest for the thyroid antibodies to see if we've made any headway on correcting the Hashimotos. I will report any findings. I had already made headway in this area just by starting vitamin D. Now that I am on a natural thyroid supplement, I hope to completely rid myself of the disorder. 

Now, to report on quitting harmful foods to my body. Cravings were not hardly an issue at all which totally surprised me. I really do enjoy eggs! Dr. was hoping it would eliminate my joint pain completely but has not so far...but it IS better! The best part of it is that I most definitely have more energy on a regular basis and just feel better overall. I was really struggling for some time with energy crashing between 1-2:30 almost every day. That isn't an issue anymore unless I've really been active working on a something or didn't get a good nights sleep. I seem to be sleeping better, too! Now if only I could get the pain and tingling to stop in my neck, shoulder and arm from the bulging c5&6 I might feel like a new woman! I also would love to stop gaining weight even when I watch what I eat. 

I know this was a very long post but I wanted to give an up date on my health and hope to help others in theirs! Do not be so quick to poo poo the idea of food allergies and sensitivities. I believe with all my heart it is MUCH more common than people realize!

How Does Body Temperature Effect Health?

We all know that the average normal body temperature of humans is 98.6. However, in recent years it is now considered normal if anywhere from 98.6-99.8. 

When a person runs even a low grade temperature, they are considered contagious, sick and fighting infection somewhere in their bodies. Fevers are God's design to help heat up and kill off bacteria and viruses. 

What happens when a person begins having a below normal body temperature? 

I recently discovered this to be the case in myself. My average basal body temperature was 97.5! For years I have struggled with being cold. Feeling cold most of the time even to touch my arms, feet and nose. I have never liked winter time and being cold because when I am cold, my muscles stiffen up and then my joints and body hurt and ache. As I have aged, I figured that I just had poor circulation and that was due mostly from age and lack of exercise. A month ago, while visiting a chiropractor that specializes in natural path internal medicine, we discovered my low body temp. He recommended natural thyroid medicine because low body temperature is a sure sign of a thyroid problem. (BTW, in Nov. 2017 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's - a thyroid autoimmune disorder. Dr. has told me to stop saying I have that because we are on the road to fixing it) After a month of medicine, I have more energy and my average body temp is now 98.3! I rarely feel cold and shiver anymore! 

Now that I have learned of low body temps and the symptoms and health issues associated with it and the thyroid, I can look back to the age of 34 and the symptoms I began having, and realize that I have been unhealthy and chronically ill for many years. I am now 51. I was just unaware! I knew I didn't feel right. I knew I struggled with issues but had no idea it boiled down to fixing one main thing in my body. You can have symptoms before having anything show up in lab tests. - possibly for years! I chalked it up to aging quicker than normal because I had such trauma to my body when I was in the car/train collision. Along with my thyroid medicine, I am also taking a liquid iodine daily. This is supposed to help shrink the uterine and breast fibroids that also began at age 34 - I was unaware of this back then too! 

Here are some facts and symptoms about Low Body Temp ...
A low body temperature is more than enough to explain many health problems, such as: Fatigue, headaches, migraines, PMS, easy weight gain, depression, irritability, fluid retention, anxiety and panic attacks, hair loss, poor memory, poor concentration, low sex drive, unhealthy nails, dry skin and hair, cold intolerance, heat intolerance, low motivation, low ambition, insomnia, allergies, acne, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma, odd swallowing sensations, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, muscle and joint aches, slow healing, sweating abnormalities, Raynaud's Phenomenon, itchiness, irregular periods, easy bruising, ringing of the ears, flushing, bad breath, dry eyes/blurred vision, and more.

This does not mean that if you have one or many of the above symptoms you automatically have low body temp and a thyroid issue, but it is something to keep in mind. BTW... a one time low body temp is not the same thing. To find out if you have a below average body temperature you need to have an accurate working oral thermometer and take your temp first thing in the morning for five mornings in a row. Take it before rising from bed and before drinking anything! Keep the thermometer and a piece of paper to keep track next to the bed where you can reach with little movement. After the five days add all temps together and divide by 5. This will be your average temp. If it is below 98.0 then you are experiencing low body temperature and the good news is it can be fixed!  Ask your doctor about some lab work to test your thyroid function including antibodies. Ask for Armor Thyroid or one of the generic natural thyroid medicines. 

It remains to be seen if the thyroid medicine will help with my antibodies (Hashimoto's) or the iodine with the fibroids but I will keep you posted. I will say that my monthly period was lighter than usual for the last one and that was after being on the two supplements for only a couple weeks! It has been heavy for 7-10 days for about ten years! 

What Aging Brings

As I've been researching and learning about Hashimotos autoimmune disorder of the thyroid, I have been contemplating life and what we humans go through. Most everyone just sails through life living each day as it comes and not giving any real thought to the future as far as their health goes. Many set career goals even in high school. Many set marital or family goals, home buying goals, vacation goals, and retirement goals. However, most do not plan for a healthy future. I have long said that we eat, drink and breathe cancer and other illnesses but  over the past year I have realized we are exposed to toxins and other harmful agents through just everyday environment, including those in the medical industry. The medicines whether over the counter or prescription are full of things that may help aiding in the medical condition but then the body must also recover a second time from the chemicals it is exposed to with the drugs. 

I spent my life NOT smoking or doing drugs nor have I drank any alcohol for more than 20 years, yet in my daily choices for years and years I have been exposed to things that cause harm to my body. Daily choices of foods to eat or drink, immunizations, makeup, perfumes, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, lotions, cleaners, laundry soaps, light bulbs, microwaves, dental fillings, aluminum foil, plastic storage containers and cashier receipts just to name several. While the harmful agents are not necessarily harmful enough to cause instant problems, over time they are the cause of all future health problems. These things mentioned add heavy metals to your body, and expose it to toxins that if investigated for each ingredient you'd find poisons, carcinogens, and other toxins that eat away at the body system, especially the intestines which is what helps regulate all the rest of the body. If your bowels, liver and kidneys get so gunked up that they cannot properly help you eliminate waste from the body, it then builds up in the blood stream and causes major issues. Elimination of urine and feces is key to being healthy along with taking in of cleaner foods. Going to the bathroom is the way the body gets rid of the junk it has taken in so that it doesn't build up and cause problems in the body. That's why it's important! 

I reckon that in this advanced world where industry and technology have forged their way into rapid existence, there was no way to stop the onset of all the harmful things people are now exposed to in their daily lives. After all, people like easier, they like convenient, they like less work. That's how instant everything, prepackaged everything, more and more chemicals and machines have come to be. This is why we are exposed to BPA, GMOs, formaldehyde, agent orange style poisons, metals and allergens, ...because it makes things easier. It makes more money for businesses by creating shortcuts to the end result. 

There is a younger generation now that seems to be embracing a cleaner and healthier lifestyle. However, it is hard to stop the exposure to what's out there just walking around in life. BPA is in nearly everything you touch...from plastics to all receipts. 

Now to my title after all that long few paragraphs. Aging brings illnesses, body aches and pains, reduced memory, slower reflexes, slower thinking, etc. but also wisdom and knowledge, hopefully. Some of it isn't our fault that we were exposed to these harmful toxins and carcinogens because we were never told they existed. It's only been heavily exposed through media sources over recent years. It's kind of like how in the 50s and 60s smoking was encouraged. It was advertised as a way to relax after a meal. Funny how a stimulant is relaxing! I've read through old magazines and seen the ads though. Now we know more about the toxicity of smoking. 

Aging brings fighting off the illnesses and fighting to get healthier by making better choices. It can be overwhelming! However, we must keep in mind that we did not get ill over night and we will not get well over night. It takes time and we need to do it one step at a time even if it is a baby step. I believe my next step since removing gluten and killing off the Candida is to begin removing heavy metals from my body. I will have to go slow as I know already there is quite a die off symptom phase for this. I will do this with natural things such as essential oils, foods and supplements and maybe in the future chelation.  

More on My Health Journey

I'm almost through my candida overgrowth detox that I started through my FDN practitioner. It has been an interesting journey. I think everyone who can should go through some of their labs and supplemental programs to get the body organs functioning correctly. The Gut, especially, is truly the second brain of the body! The labs that are done go in depth to help to figure out hormonal, fungal and parasite problems and if you want can check for food allergies and in tolerances. 

During my labs I found out some things I didn't know, reconfirmed some things I'd learned in previous labs and also learned I wasn't quite as bad off as I had thought I'd be. The adrenal exhaustion diagnosis explained many of my symptoms including no energy, sleep problems, etc. My hormone levels were all nearly zilch and my liver function was low. I also had a higher blood sugar level than I should. This could be due to the candida overgrowth and the low liver function. 

After going gluten free first, many side symptoms subsided. I recommend everyone try gluten free for 30 days and just see how they feel. Yes, it is difficult because you must be aware of what you are eating. But I think it is worth having reduced headaches, joint pain and stomach and abdominal issues. By the way, if you go gluten free and develop symptoms that seem like flu or feeling run down for a few days (DON'T GIVE UP! THAT'S A GOOD SIGN! IT MEANS YOU PROBABLY HAD AN ISSUE AND YOUR BODY IS READJUSTING). Push through and stay the course. It will get better! I promise! What makes gluten free diets so difficult is that it means you MUST be conscious of what you put in your mouth. You learn to label read and to stop eating quickie foods such as processed foods (canned soup, ravioli, frozen pizza, etc) and you must be very careful at restaurants. Gluten is hidden in many many products and foods. Gluten comes from wheat and barley mostly. So, if the label has wheat flour, or all purpose flour or malt it more than likely has gluten. Malt or barley malt is often used as a sweetener and even a binder in processed foods....pre-made rice Krispie treats! Most soy sauces have wheat in them. These are just examples. Most canned soups, gravies at restaurants and any other food that requires a thickener will have gluten because they are thickened with flour. I use tapioca flour, corn starch or potato starch at my house as a thickener in gravy. Tapioca flour is wonderful! 

The Candida detox was actually harder than the gluten free because it required a strict, very strict diet for the first 10 days along with taking many supplements to help aid in the rid of the overgrowth and to also help boost and jump start my organs that were functioning at low capacity. The diet was no sugar, dairy (except lowfat cottage cheese and plain yogurt and butter), gluten, fruit or pork and no starchy vegetables. I lost 8 pounds in that 10 days!!! 

What I gained from this detox was completely regulated bowels, removal of joint pain, blood sugars regulated, less headaches and an overall "I feel better". 

I highly recommend getting in touch with a FDN practitioner and just doing the first steps and labs. Again, this can all be done via phone and emails and ups!!! Not once did I see my practitioner---we were not even in the same state! I would be glad to put you in touch with him. He is very compassionate about with his patients because he wants to help people get better and feel better. He wants to spare them unnecessary surgeries he went through and find a better way besides prescription drugs that may help relieve symptoms or issues but also often destroys body cells and gives new symptoms. Don't get me wrong, the traditional medicine has its place, but I believe there are often even better ways to take care of an issue. 

Candida Detox health journey update

Well, today is Day 10 on my Candida Detox. It has been hard! Giving up dairy, sugar, caffeine, heavy starches, all vinegar and especially my soda has been very hard. The cravings haven't been unbearable though. The yeast die off symptoms stink. I've had a headache at least some on most days but at least no migraines. I also started my menstruation period a week early. I'm assuming from throwing my body into shock. Wasn't expecting that. I have seen an ease in joint pain and I also seem to be sleeping better at night which are both pluses. The extremely strict diet is over now, but still no sugars and I am to slowly add back in restricted foods. A by product has been that I lost 8 pounds in the past 10 days. Keeping up with all the supplements to get rid of the candida yeast, and get my adrenal glands and liver functioning right again is also a difficult task. I am on several that must be taken before I eat and several must be taken after. some are taken only twice a day and some are taken three times a day. I still have several more to add! There are a bunch. No, I won't be on them the rest of my life, just for a month or so...maybe up to three months. Then, by that time I'm hoping everything is again working properly inside me! 

Bob has been trying to do the candida free diet with me just to purge his body and try to lose some weight. He has good days and bad. He doesn't have the benefit of the supplements (which are exclusive to my lab works) to help with energy and stuff. 

Along with this, I have been dealing with a bulging c5 disk and protruding bulging c6 disk in my neck which has caused pain, numbness and tingling in my right arm, hand, shoulder and rib cage. I had to see a specialist. The good news is that he doesn't think I need surgery. I am using a neck traction device to relieve the pressure on the bulging areas to help the nerves. So far, it has helped alot since it first started. It is not completely gone but much better. I go back for a review on July 12. 

I know some are not interested in my good health journey but I hope to inspire some of you to check into seeing an FDN practitioner. (functional diagnostic nutrition) I can give you the name of someone who is good and who is compassionate towards patients because he has been through it all himself. It can all be done via telephone conferences and lab work being sent UPS. Just contact me and I can give you his name.  

Health Journal Update #3

I think this is update # 3. There's not too much to report this time but I don't want to go too long without posting. I have the results of my pathogens and fungus testing. Praise the Lord no pathogens but I did test positive for candida overgrowth. Because of this, I have been diagnosed with sterile gut. This means that I have no good bacteria in the intestines. This can partly be due to having been recently on antibiotics (even though I waited the 14 days after finishing before testing). This diagnosis can also be a contributing factor to my adrenal exhaustion and liver not working properly. Unfortunately, the treatment (natural treatment) is quite costly and also requires 14 days of DRASTIC diet change to kill off the candida. It is a fungus that can be residual to treatments. It will have to be on hold until we get moved because we just found out that we owe alot to the IRS for our taxes and we still have money out of pocket for our home renovation. 

I'm doing pretty well staying mostly gluten free. Since I don't seem to have a severe allergy to it, when necessary, I do eat gluten but I do try to avoid it. When we get moved and I have my full kitchen again and all my kitchen items unboxed, I plan to go completely gluten free. Where I really still struggle is with my sugar intake and my soda addiction. I'm also planning on focusing on this more fully and strictly once we get moved and some of the stress is gone. Soda will be the hardest because there is something about drinking Pepsi that makes me feel closer to my mom. I've been missing her so much this past year. 

I still have not gotten brave enough to do a coffee enema but I will eventually do it. I did take my blood sugar levels for a week and it tested on high end three times. From my research, I'd say it could possibly be due to my liver not functioning up to par. Could be due to taking in too much sugar the day before also.

Well, that's all I have for now. I'll let you know more once we get moved and I get to more fully focus on making the changes needed. 

Health Update Post

I haven't posted about my health journey for awhile. To start with, I went 43 days gluten free. (I promised my FDN practitioner I would go at least a month) Then from Jan 1- 4 I went back on gluten to see what would happen. I must say that I fully enjoyed eating some things that I had given up ---especially eating at restaurants. It made choices easier. I didn't have a bunch of symptoms return but I did have gas issues like before, so who knows if other symptoms wouldn't have returned. 

I will say that even though the stomach problems were not there during the gluten free days after each meal, I did have tummy aches off and on due to severe constipation. Apparently, from research I have done, constipation is a big side effect of going gluten free. Taking the "Calm" powder is necessary to keep things moving correctly. (a magnesium powder) 

Something else I forgot to mention in the previous post is dry skin brushing. You use a natural bristle brush to do swipes over all body parts. This removes old dead cells and stimulates new growth. It also stimulates the adrenal glands and the digestive system. It is good to do right before taking a shower. It feels good too. 

I will be doing my testing for parasites and fungus in the next few days. Hoping that is a negative. 

I'm still struggling to get off drinking soda and reduce my sugar intake. I figure I'd nail down the gluten free thing first. I'm supposed to not get stressed while making lifestyle changes.

I will post more things after I do my testing. Give dry skin brushing a try. Feels good and makes you healthier.

Being Gluten Free

Well, I've been gluten free for 22 days now and while I have to be thoughtful about choices - especially for snacks and eating out is harder because there's no way to know how things are prepared, but it really isn't as hard as most would think. I actually didn't expect to feel any different after going gluten free because I was told in 2008 that "surprisingly I had no problem processing gluten". I can say that I have had much less stomach issues and joint pain over the past couple weeks. For several months before I was complaining about my stomach being upset almost every time I ate no matter what i ate. Bob had been on me about getting checked out but I'm pretty stubborn and until October I didn't have health insurance so I wouldn't. Besides, if at all possible I try to avoid typical medical doctors. They have a place but I just believe there are better options than medicating and removing body parts. So, obviously I DO have an issue with gluten or symptoms would not have disappeared. Do you have upset stomach after eating? Feel bloated or have a gassy stomach afterwards? Have headaches often or joint pain often? If you answered yes to any of these, you may have a problem with gluten also. Just something to think about. 

I can't remember what all I said in my last health post but if I didn't say, one of my first tests showed that my liver isn't working correctly. My next test is going to check for pathogens, infections and fungus after I am on a certain supplement for 2 weeks. I will also be purchasing a glucose monitor to check my blood sugar levels each morning for a week or two. I will be doing a spit test over the weekend to precheck for candida (forms of yeast). I'm ordering a coffee enema kit from Amazon. I'm actually not looking forward to the finger pricking or the enema except that it leads to possible better health. I'd rather give blood all day long than get a shot or prick my finger. A coffee enema is supposed to help detox the gall bladder and liver and give instant energy because of this. So, I am looking forward to that!

I think I posted about the pinch of sea salt and lemon juice in my water being suggested and I totally love it! It's petty much a natural lemony homemade gatorade or powerade. 

Welp, that's all for now. People are welcome to ask questions and I'll do my best to answer.

Journey to Good Health

I have decided to blog or journal about the journey I'm on to have better health.  These posts may not be interesting for anyone else to read and that's ok if no one reads...not many readers anyhow. I'm blogging about this for my own help and future remembrance. It all begins with assesments of my overall health, symptoms I'm experiencing, and testing with a FDN practioner. FDN is Functional Diagnostic Nutrition that takes a holistic and natural approach to better health rather than the typical medical approach of covering sypmtoms with medicine or removing ailing body parts. They use in depth diagnostic testing to figure out where the root of the problem is and then use lifestyle changes, supplements, and diet changes to naturally heal the body and get it to optimum functioning. 

My first two tests were a urine and saliva test. They check different body chemistry levels. Each level leads them to knowledge about how my body organs are functioning. They are big indicators that point to possible problems or causes of symptoms I am having. Two things that I found out were that I'm not breaking down or processing any proteins correctly and also the biggie is that I'm in adrenal exhaustion. Because of this exhaustion, all my hormone levels are off. 

The first thing I was advised to do was to remove gluten from my diet (just to see if some symptoms improve), change bed times to earlier as often as possible, remove all regular iodized table salt and replace with natural sea salt (even drinking filtered water with a small pinch of sea salt and a small amount of lemon juice in it), and to begin cutting back on sugar intake.

Next week, after I've practiced the above for a few days, we will introduce some new supplements that will help restore some balance. 

I'm proud to say that I have eaten no gluten for the past 2 1/2 days and it hasn't been terribly horrible. The first day I tried no gluten and no sugar at all but by late afternoon, my body sorta spazzed out on me and I ate something sugary and it helped some. (I'm not supposed to throw myself into stress trying to do these things...go slowly if necessary as long as I'm making strides)

I will eventually explain the reasons and whys for some of the advice..(ADVICE not medical prescriptions or diagnosis) Until I do more research on my own to verify some of the things I'm told, I will refrain from saying too much to avoid contraversy (I do enough of that as it is). I'm hoping that in blogging about this journey to health that someone else will learn and move themselves towards better health. I trust what I'm being told and believe in it, but I don't want to involve others until I do further investigating and research. I hope you will follow me on this path as I share details about my personal life and health.